NoHo Man, 19, Behind Bars For Allegedly Raping Woman
NORTH HOLLYWOOD (CBS) — Police say they have arrested a 19-year-old man wanted for allegedly raping and kidnapping a woman.
Officials say Louis Mercado of North Hollywood was arrested Tuesday for allegedly following a 37- year-old woman down a street then forcing her to go to a parking lot where he sexually assaulted her
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the attack occurred around 12:45 a.m. March 11 in the 6900 block of Lankershim Boulevard, police said.
He "pulled her by the arm to a nearby parking lot ... ordered her to undress then sexually assaulted her," according to police. The suspect fled the area shortly after.
Mercado is being held at the LAPD Valley Jail Section in lieu of $1.6 million bail.
Detectives believe Mercado may have been involved in similar crimes in the North Hollywood area, specifically near the Lankershim Boulevard Corridor.
The police urged additional victims or anyone with information regarding similar crimes to contact Los Angeles Police Department North Hollywood Sexual Assault detectives at (818) 623-4090 or 1-877-LAPD-24-7.
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